Village Secrets
by OTP324B21
Summary: Cophine AU - Delphine, having trained as a figure skater all her life meets an American snowboarder when she is accidentally given a room in the wrong Olympic Village.
1. Chapter 1

Every time she felt the chill of the ice, it was the same experience. She felt the cool wind fluttering past her and the thrill of excitement, her heart beating in time with the music and the movements that she'd done so many times they were almost automatic. After picking up enough speed and a well-timed turn she was now soaring backwards, her body preparing itself as she felt the power in her legs uncoil. One skate dug into the ice and launched her up into the air, but something was wrong. From the moment her skates left the ice, the rotation was incorrect. She could feel the normal control she had seep out and she lost sight of where she was. Gravity pulled at her and she forced her limbs to cooperate, but it was futile. Her skate touched the ice again but inertia still had a grip on her and she spun once more and suddenly she was falling. She was falling and she felt the rush of cold air accompanied by the immediate feeling of regret mixed with the loss of Olympic gold right before her head impacted the ice in a loud crack.

With a jerk, Delphine would have jumped out of her seat had she not been seat-belted in. "Merde." She looked around, swallowing the panic that had overcome her entire body. It was the same nightmare she'd had every night for the past month since she'd been selected. Her eyes darted around the cabin of the plane, her hands gripping the arms of the first-class seat.

"Ça va?"

Looking to her side, her coach was looking at her through eyes heavy with sleep. She nodded. "Je vais bien ." With a half-hearted wave, she signaled the stewardess. "Une petite bouteille d'eau, s'il vous plaît." When the small bottle of water was delivered, she quickly drank it down before picking up the packet she had been reading over. She'd been to Russia about half a dozen times in the past year. This time it was different. She would be representing her country. She looked to her right to see her fellow countrymen who were speaking quietly as they watched a video on a tablet.

The Olympics.

She'd been working her entire life for this moment. Every restless night, every 15-hour training day, this was what she was working towards. Now she just had to get through the next two weeks. Two weeks of press conferences, trainings, and competitions that would be seen all over the planet.

"Merde."

* * *

"Merde." This had to be maybe the tenth time that word had escaped her mouth as she took in the sight of the room.

"What the hell is this?"

Delphine turned to Isabelle, a shorter but well-toned woman with dark skin and large inquisitive eyes who was one of the ice dancers she had been sharing ice time with. "Well, this was unexpected." Delphine stepped up to one of the twin beds, kicking it slightly before lifting her suitcase onto the padded surface. There was an odd scent in the air and she doubted the bedding was clean despite the fact that the building was new. Unzipping the large bag, she pulled out a soft blanket, holding it to her nose so she could breathe in the scent of jasmine and coffee. "I am sure Monsieur Allard will get this straightened out in the morning." They had left the older Frenchman downstairs yelling into his cell phone, knowing that nothing would be settled before the next morning.

Isabelle moved to the window, pulling back the curtain to reveal the night sky. There were scenes of construction everywhere, piles of lumber and tools here and there, but worst of all was the snow. "We are not supposed to be here. This is the wrong village, Lait!"

She wrinkled her nose at the nickname the woman had given her in the last month. Shrugging out of her coat and quickly pulling on a knitted sweater, Delphine joined the woman. They could see people walking around, laughing and joking. "Well, I'm sure the scenery is better here." As if on cue, there was a soft snap and the curtain fluttered to the ground. She wanted to laugh, but she was frankly too tired. Upon landing they had been rushed to a press conference before they were whisked off to get their room assignments. Sochi was...almost unbearable. The city was filthy, the streets cluttered with trash and stray dogs. There were police everywhere armed with large guns and bad attitudes.

To top it all off, the complete disorganization was revealed when they were informed they had rooms in the Mountain village. The athletes were split up among three villages, and while the other skaters and similar athletes were assigned to the coastal village, somehow they had been given rooms in the same area as the skiers in the village 30 minutes away.

"This is such a shitstorm."

"Oui." Delphine sighed before going to the bathroom, only to be faced with two toilets sitting right next to each other. "Hmmmm, Isa...I do not think we are this close."

Sticking her head in the room, the shorter woman smirked. "Non. I think we can take turns like normal people." She rolled her eyes and went to unpack her own suitcase.

With a shake of her wavy blonde hair, Delphine set out her toiletries on the counter, turning on the water. "What the..." She turned off the faucet and stopped the flow of yellow water, looking at her reflection that was segmented by a large crack across the center of the mirror. "This is the moment I have been working for all my life." It was almost a mantra to remind her of exactly what she was doing.

When things didn't seem like they could get any worse that night, there was a loud crash that came from outside their room.

Isabelle opened the front door, seeing someone laying in the middle of the hallway and two other women leaning against the wall laughing hysterically.

"Shiiiiiiit." The woman rolled over, rubbing her forehead. "These sons of bitches need to clear these damn cables."

"Come on, Niehaus." One of the laughing women spoke in English as she helped her fallen comrade up. All three were wearing matching, hideous sweaters adorned with the American flag. They passed just as Isabelle closed the door.

"What is going on out there?" Delphine asked, pushing her suitcase off the bed. She picked up the three one liter bottles of water she'd had in her travel bag and brought them to the bathroom

The darker woman shook her head as she began to strip out of her clothes, pulling on warmer pajamas. "Stupid clumsy Americans."

"Well, tomorrow everything will be fixed and we can get some ice time." Slipping under the covers, Delphine took a deep breath, wincing as she felt the springs of the mattress through the thin material of the sheets. "Let's get some sleep." With a final prayer that her dreams would be clear, Delphine reached up and turned off the lights.


	2. Chapter 2

Delphine inhaled slowly, the crisp air burning her throat slightly as she stretched her limbs. It was still dark but the sky had started to take on a pinker tone. At home, she was used to being the only one awake this early. It was something she did no matter if she was having a rare day off, or a day full of practice. She looked forward to the quiet serenity every morning as she warmed up her body, preparing her mind for the long day.

A group of about 15 athletes jogged past Delphine and she sighed softly. Apparently she wasn't the only one awake. This was definitely going to be different. Here she was surrounded by thousands of athletes who took as much pride in their bodies as she did. With a shake of her head, she fell in about 50 feet behind the group, keeping a slow and steady pace. The feel of the gravel crunching beneath her running shoes was one that was very familiar and she allowed herself to let go and enjoy the moment. She may be in the wrong village, but she was there and she was competing in the Olympics.

_"This is an outrage!"_

_Delphine winced as Monsieur Allard threw the phone against the wall and it shattered into three pieces. She shook her blanket out and folded it for maybe the tenth time since the heated conversation had started. _

_With a heavy sigh, the French coach pulled out one of the metal chairs that were provided, facing the blonde with a solemn look on his face. "They cannot move us." He growled slightly. "There are not enough rooms in the other village." He shook his head, looking down at his hands in disgust._

_"How will we practice?" Delphine knew there was no way practice would be denied them. She wasn't one to panic even when it seemed like the odds were piling up against her. _

_"Transportation will be provided for you every day, but you will have to stay here at night."_

_Delphine looked around the room with a pensive look. It was, however, not the worse room, from what she had heard. She had seen some pictures of missing floors and holes in walls. "Perhaps this is a good thing? It will be nice to not have to worry about running into the other competitors on the off time." She put on a half smile. "I'm sure it will be ok." She pulled a pair of shoes from her suitcase. "I am going for a run."_

Delphine looked up as a runner dashed past her, red dust kicking up slightly from the running shoes. She had no intention on over-working herself. She didn't have any access to the coastal village today as they worked out a system to get her group to and from practice and competition, so she planned on looking around the village today. She was so busy thinking about the possibilities of how to spend a rare free day that she didn't notice the runner that came up beside her, slowing to match her pace.

"Hey!"

Flinching slightly, Delphine turned her head to see a shorter woman running beside her, shaggy red hair sticking out from the edge of a beanie. "Bonjour."

"Oh hey, you're French." The woman grinned as she ran. "Do you speak English?"

Trying not to get too irritated, Delphine nodded. "Oui."

The woman laughed the sort of laugh she would see in those movies that made fun of the North Americans. "That's great! I'm Bekka Peterson, team Canada."

"Delphine." Knowing she would be sharing the running track with this woman for the next two or three weeks, she tried to be polite, but she wasn't going to encourage the conversation when she was just trying to warm up in peace. To her horror, two more runners caught up and matched their pace.

"Hello, ladies." A tall man with a gleaming smile and a solid body arrived. "Is good day for run, yes?" He spoke with an accent that was as thick as his eyebrows.

Delphine sighed, realizing there would be no peace to be found. Maybe the next day she would wake up earlier. It wasn't long before she was surrounded by a group of about 10 people, conversation being passed around despite the fact that she had not encouraged any of it. They had run about 2 Km when she finally got a break.

"How about a race?" Leave it one of the American women to suggest, her long blonde braid flopping around as they ran. "Last person has to buy a round tonight!" And with that she took off down the track.

Much to Delphine's relief, the entire group took off after the American woman, leaving her alone to her thoughts once again.

"They act as if it's not all free."

Delphine turned to find one of the group still running with her. The short woman reached up and straightened her glasses, pushing back one of her brunette dreads behind an ear as she turned to meet Delphine's glance with a smile that filled half her face. She couldn't stop herself from returning the smile. "I would not know. I just got here last night."

"Oh!" The woman laughed. "Well then, you should let me show you around." Her breath came out in large puffs of white, showing signs of her tiring. "I'm totally a pro at finding stuff now."

The woman's laugh was infectious, unlike the Canadian's, and Delphine responded with a chuckle. "Maybe you can help me find the cafe this morning?"

"Of Course!" Caught in her excitement, the woman stumbled slightly. "Whoa!"

Delphine held out a hand to steady the woman, slowing to a stop. "Ça va?" At the woman's confused look she corrected herself. "Are you alright?"

"Oh! Totally. I don't really run a lot." She grinned cheekily. "My coach makes me run every day and I absolutely hate it."

Looking down, Delphine noticed she was still holding the woman's hand. She felt the blush raise her cheeks as she switched it to a handshake. "Delphine, France."

"Cosima, USA...obvs." She pointed to the American flag that was plastered all over her running gear.

Delphine tilted her head in amusement. "Enchanté."

Cosima's eyes lit up in response. "Enchanté."


	3. Chapter 3

Delphine looked around the eating area in awe. The room was about half full with athletes donning flags of all the participating countries. She tried to find any of her fellow skaters but imagined they had found a gym somewhere or were taking the rare opportunity to sleep in.

"So they have pretty much anything you could ask for." Cosima rocked on her heels as she pointed a few stations out. "I don't know if you're a light or heavy eater. Personally I'm rocking the high carb, high- protein diet. Snowboarding makes you burn through a lot of energy. What sport are you anyway?" She let her eyes linger over the woman's longer frame, noting the slim yet well-toned muscles.

Being in the constant spotlight, Delphine was used to people looking at her with judging eyes, but she couldn't stop the blush that worked its way onto her cheeks. "Figure Skating." Delphine bit her lip as the shorter woman's eyes snapped up to meet hers in confusion. "I know, I'm in the wrong place, but there was a...how do you say...fuck up." She shrugged as they grabbed trays and neared an omelet station.

"Man, how are you going to practice? We don't have a rink here." She waved at the chef and pointed out about half a dozen ingredients, licking her lips as she watched as everything was put together in a pan to cook.

Delphine politely declined the eggs, instead opting for some warm cereal. "They are making arrangements for transportation for my team and I." She watched as the shorter woman began loading her tray with an assortment of items including wheat pancakes, turkey sausage and an assortment of fruits. Delphine picked a few of the fruits herself, glad when she found they had her preferred protein milk brand. She cast a longing look at the coffee station. It had been months since her last cup of coffee and she could still taste the last cup she'd had. With a shake of her head, she followed the shorter woman.

"I guess that's cool." Cosima led them to an empty table, waving off a few protests from two separate groups that were calling for her attention. "At least you get to party with us cool kids." She laughed at her own joke which strangely brought a smile to Delphine's face. "Ok, so you're a figure skater. You're from France. I don't really follow figure skating much. Is this your first Olympics?" She made quick work of cutting up her pancakes, carefully measuring the sparse amount of syrup she poured on it. "We were all in a big camp together last Olympics and I don't remember you, but that shouldn't be a surprise since there are thousands of us." She grinned.

Mixing just a dash of honey into her cereal, Delphine took a test bite before responding. "Non, I did not compete in the last games. France does not send many athletes for figure skating." She shrugged, not really wanting to get into the details of how hard she had tried, and how disappointed she had been 4 years ago. With a shake of her head, she shook of the morose feeling the memories brought back to her. "So this is not your first Olympics?"

Hastily swallowing her mouthful of pancakes, Cosima shook her head. "Nope. This is my third Olympics. I was just a kid pretty much in Turin. Ended up in 5th place but I got the silver in Vancouver." She beamed with pride. "This is probably going to be my last try though so I'm going all out. "

Delphine rose an eyebrow, trying to connect the woman who'd tripped on an even running track with someone who might win an Olympic medal. "You are still young. Why not continue?" She instantly regretted asking when she watched the woman's smile disappear. "I'm sorry I don't mean to pry."

"No no!" Cosima waived her hands. "It's cool, it's just..." She paused to think about an answer, sucking some syrup off her fork. "I know I can't do this forever. I just want something more." She shrugged. "I'm almost done with my masters and after this is all done I'm going to throw myself into school and get my phd." She played with her fruit a bit as she got a lost look on her face. "I've been in the spotlight my whole life and I'm looking forward to the break."

It wasn't until later that day that Delphine understood the full meaning of that statement. They had parted after a few hours of walking around the different features of the village. Cosima was off to practice and Delphine headed back to her room. After admiring all the improvements that had been made to her floor and room, which included clear water from the pipes and new drapes, Delphine pulled out her tablet and curled under her blankets, laying on her stomach as she googled her newest acquaintance. She couldn't really understand why she was doing it, maybe so she could have something to talk about when they met for dinner at the agreed time. She had met many athletes during the tour, but the short brunette from northern California was the only one she really had any interest to get to know.

When Cosima said she'd been in the spotlight her whole life, she wasn't kidding. From the day she was born, there were news articles about her. She was part of a set of identical quadruplets and there were features of the girls growing up until they turned into teens where there were less group photos and more singles of the apparent snowboarding prodigy. Even as a young child she was hitting the more expert slopes, more at ease on snow than on solid ground. She was known as Grasshopper on the slopes as was displayed on the board made for her by her sponsor which sported a bright green grasshopper across the top.

Watching the many videos was somewhat a surreal experience. She'd never cared much for snowboarding. It was a very masculine sport in her mind, one practiced by the ruffians of the slopes. Watching Cosima was anything but masculine. It always started out the same way, with a wiggled swagger up to the edge before she stuck her tongue out at the camera. She was compact and nimble, apparently wowing the spectators with how high she got in the air during jumps. Delphine winced along with the crowd as she watched the previous Olympics where Cosima didn't make it all the way through a flip and ended up crashing during her second run, leaving her in second place. She held her breath as the woman laid there, staring up at the sky for a long 30 seconds before finally standing up, shaking her head and sliding to where the American in first place was waiting with open arms and she was surrounded in a group hug of snowboarders.

There was a quick knock before the bedroom door opened and Isabelle sauntered in. "Bonjour Lait!" She crashed onto the edge of Delphine's bed, looking over her shoulder. "Why are you watching snowboarding?"

Delphine quickly minimized the video player, instantly knowing that made it seem like she was covering something up. But she wasn't...was she? "It is just interesting. I was talking with one of the snowboarders today."

Isabelle laughed. "The American!" She stood up and began stripping out of her normal clothes, donning her ballet gear. "I saw you two at breakfast this morning. You looked very...friendly." She grinned as she slipped on a hoodie.

The way the woman said 'friendly' made Delphine instantly defensive. "Don't be absurd, Isa. We were just talking. She showed me around the village." She watched the woman slipping on a few more layers. "Where are you going?"

"To the gym. You should come with me. They have a bar there so I am going to make something useful of today." She grinned as Delphine slipped out from under the covers. As she changed, Isabelle picked up the tablet, clicking on one of the videos. "Delphine...do you prefer women?" She smirked when the blonde froze. "It's just I have not seen you enjoying the company of anyone, let alone romantically."

Delphine slid her sweater over her head before taking the tablet from her and stashing it in her bag. "I do not have time for romance." She shook her head and tucked her ballet shoes into the pocket of her hoodie. "I've been working up to this moment since I could walk. I will not let anything get in the way." The last thing she expected was the laughter that burst from the woman.

"Oh Lait, you are so sweet sometimes." Isabelle grabbed her own shoes, gesturing for the blonde to proceed her on the way out. "As someone who has been to the Olympics before, let me clue you into a few things. First, you will have a lot of free time. " They entered the small elevator, feeling it jerk slightly before it started descending. "You can choose to practice and work yourself to death in the gym every day, but it won't help and it won't change how you do in your performance." When the elevator dinged, she led the way towards the gym. "Second, what happens in the Olympic village..." She stopped to admire the Swiss bobsledding team that walked by. "...stays in the Olympic village." She finished with a wave to the last man in the pack who was looking her way.

With a furrowed brow, Delphine shook her head before following the woman into the gym.


	4. Chapter 4

Stepping off the metro, Delphine cringed at the amount of activity that was going on. It had been a whirlwind of activity the past few days. She had finally gotten some ice time, but skating while the other Olympians studied her every move had been very intimidating. It had taken her almost the entire first practice session to get used to being watched so closely, not used to feeling so out of place on the ice. She had had several training sessions since then and was pleased with her performance so far. Between practice and training in the gym and interviews, her days were usually bustling with activity. At night she found that, just like Isabelle had suggested, she had a lot of free time. Her roommate was always pressuring her to come out with her and celebrate with dancing and drinks. She would always decline, not really one for crowds and loud places.

Oddly enough, she found the moment of the day she looked forward to the most was the morning run when she'd meet Cosima at the running track along with a few other athletes she'd begin to know by name. After a few laps they would have breakfast together before parting ways for their respective practices and dedicated work outs. In the evening after Isabelle had left for her night of debauchery, they would meet for dinner, unwinding and teaching each other about their sports, laughing as they each tried to remember the names of the different maneuvers.

At the moment, Delphine was torn between what she should do. It was the night of the opening ceremony and the athletes were in complete party mode. She had to skate the next day, her Olympic debut, but she knew there was no way she could get any sleep. While she knew she would be alone in her room for most of the night since Isabelle had a tendency to sneak back into the room in the early hours, the entire village seemed to be up and about. In addition to the pure racket that was happening, her stomach was fluttering with the nausea of anticipation. While it wasn't the main event she had been preparing for, the team competition was still a big deal. Maybe it was even a bigger deal because her performance didn't just affect herself, but it also affected the other skaters she'd traveled with.

"Delphine!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Delphine saw the familiar brunette running over to her. The woman had stripped out of her ridiculous American sweater and was sporting a simple dark blue jacket, her dreads being held at bay by a matching fleece headband that covered her ears. "Bonsoir, Cosima." Delphine felt a different flutter, one more like butterflies that she began to equate with being around the American. She found herself pulled into a hug by the shorter woman and she barely had time to react before the woman was pulling away.

"Wow, gray is not your color." Cosima teased, tugging on the sash of the gray jacket that Delphine was forced to wear.

"It is not so bad." Delphine lied, knowing just how bad it looked. It wasn't flattering for anyone, but then again most of the countries had awful uniforms for the opening ceremonies. "I like your boots." Even in the crowded area she could still smell the lingering scent of the woman's perfume.

Cosima lifted a leg, sporting the black and red boots that were stamped with the American Olympic Team logo. "I know they're pretty kick ass." She tugged on the woman's arm, towards the building that they both resided in. "You should change. I found something totally amazing that you should see."

The butterflies fluttered again as she allowed the woman to tug her into the elevator. She could feel the warmth of the woman's hand still on her arm even through the thickness of her coat.

Stopping at the door she knew belonged to the blonde, Cosima grinned. "Ok, so get changed, don't forget your jacket, and I will be back in 5 minutes. Be ready to go."

"What? But..."

"5 minutes, not a second more!" Cosima called out as she began to jog down the hallway.

Delphine slipped into her room, not surprised to find it empty. She only took a brief minute to gather herself before she quickly stripped out of her country's uniform and into her warmer village uniform, zipping up the soft jacket. She checked her reflection in the mirror before running a hand through her hair and nodding. There was a quick knock on the door and Delphine hurried to answer it.

"Come on, we have to go." Cosima looked around nervously.

Delphine nodded as she quickly locked the door, following the woman who was shouldering a bulging bag and walking quickly. She heard a yell behind her and was about to stop when Cosima laughed.

"Oh shit, Delphine run."

Acting instead of reacting, Delphine followed the quickly dashing woman who was suddenly at the end of the hallway, jabbing at the up button. The yells were getting closer as the doors opened and Cosima pulled her in the elevator, quickly hitting the top floor button.

When it was obvious they were safe, Cosima laughed, leaning against the elevator wall. "Holy watershed, I thought they were gonna catch us."

"Why were they...?" The question died on Delphine's lips when the brunette offered her half the spoils, an unopened bottle of red wine. "You stole this?" She looked at the woman in disbelief but knew there was no way she could be upset. The woman just looked so proud of her accomplishment as she pushed up her glasses, wrinkling her nose.

Cosima grinned mischievously. "The Italians always have this killer wine at their parties." She twisted off the cap of the bottle she held, taking a quick sip, leaving a dark red stain on her lips that she licked away with the tip of her tongue.

Delphine shook her head, concentrating on weighing the pros and cons of taking a drink. She had to skate the next day, but she also wanted to enjoy the night. How often would she be able to have this experience in her lifetime? She looked at the shorter woman who was leaning against the wall, reading the bottle's label. How many more moments would she have to share with the tiny American that had the ability to remove all her skating anxiety and replace them with a new anxiety she was completely unused to. Making her decision, she unscrewed the bottle, taking a sip. It was bold and rich with hints of cloves and smokiness. It was rather delicious and she took a second sip, feeling almost savage-like to be drinking from the bottle like this. It was like she could hear her mother's voice chastising her for being such a heathen. She caught the brunette grinning widely at her and returned the smile. "Where are we going?"

"It's a secret." Cosima replied as the elevator stopped on the top floor. There was a low pulsing sound that could be heard from a distant room and she rolled her eyes before leading the way.

With a furrowed brow, Delphine watched as she pulled out a key to unlock a set of double doors which led to a dark room. "Where did you get that key?"

Cosima gave her a sly look. "If I tell you, I'd have to kill you." She grabbed the blonde's hand to pull her into the room.

Delphine was too busy focusing on the woman's hand wrapped around her own and almost tripped over her own feet. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment as she met the gaze of the shorter woman's hazel eyes.

"You ok?" Cosima asked, a hint of amusement in her eyes and mouth.

"Oui." Delphine nodded, taking another sip of her wine. She didn't know why she felt so nervous all of a sudden.

"Hold on."

Delphine watched as the woman disappeared into the darkness for a moment before turning to the wall of windows. They were in a room at the top of the building, high enough to see the entire village. She grinned as she watched the people below until her attention was drawn to the room lighting up. A laugh slipped from her lips at the sight of the rotating disco ball shining tiny points of light around, illuminating the dozens of bean bags littered about the floor. "What in the world?"

Sipping her wine, Cosima navigated around the bean bags. "They were still working on this room, but it's supposed to be open to everyone tomorrow." She kicked a pair of bean bags closer to the window, gesturing for the blonde to sit. "Sorry I turned the heat on but I don't know how long it will take to make a difference." She unshouldered the bag she had, removing a fleece blanket and offering it to the blonde as she sat down. "I thought you could use a little peace and quiet. You have to skate tomorrow right?"

With a nod, Delphine wiggled around on the beanbag to be at an angle where she could see both the woman and out the window. When the American sat down, they were touching just slightly and Delphine wondered if she would even need the blanket. "It must be nice to have made it through your qualifications. You do not have to compete in the semi-finals, correct?"

Cosima nodded, taking a sip of her wine. "Nope, but I have to go cheer. One of our teammates didn't qualify so she has to compete." She looked down at the bottle in her hands, tracing the cursive letters. "God I wish I could smoke a joint right now." Her hands fidgeted as she looked to the blonde who gave her a disbelieving look. "I have ADHD and it calms me down. This clean living shit is great for my athletic side, but my brain is crazy right now." Her free hand came up to try to assist with the illustration. "It's like there are a thousand things going on in my brain right now. I'm thinking about how I did at the qualifying and I'm mostly pleased but all I can think is how the angle on takeoff wasn't right and I'm not picking up enough speed to get the full rotation I needed and my edging is not where I want it to be and I really want to kiss you right now but I don't even know if you'd be interested in me like that and I don't want to ruin this friendship we've started but are we even friends because when this all ends I might never see you again and ..."

Delphine didn't know when she had decided on her course of action. No, that was a lie. From the moment she heard the words _'I really want to kiss you'_ she was already in motion. One moment she was sitting there watching the brunette stumble through words and the next thing she knew her lips were pressed against the American's. There was a moment of shock from both women before Delphine felt the woman's lips curve into a smile and the kiss was returned.


	5. Chapter 5

_"Do you prefer women?"_

Isabelle's question rang through Delphine's mind as her hands came up to cup the woman's face, tasting the bold red wine on soft lips. No, she didn't prefer women. She had never romantically kissed a woman before and she had never wanted to.

No, she just preferred Cosima. She preferred the smiling lips and the arm that slipped around her neck, pulling her closer. She preferred the way her nose bumped clumsily against the woman's glasses, and the giggle that it elicited. She could feel the woman's other hand sliding up and unzipping the front of her jacket, replacing warmth for an even more intense heat. She pulled back slightly, her breath ragged as she leaned her forehead against the brunette's, a hand pressed against the woman's collar, pushing her back gently and feeling the rapid heartbeat. "I um..." She leaned back and shook her head with a laugh. "I don't..."

Cosima pulled back almost immediately. "Oh...God...Did I just..." She pulled her hands back, wringing the fingers together. "I'm so sorry I shouldn't have..." She stopped and her brow furrowed as she replayed the interaction in her mind. "Wait...you kissed me."

Delphine laughed, reaching out to caress the woman's cheek again. "I did. I've just never..." She looked away, shaking her head.

"Oh." Cosima grinned, capturing the woman's hand and intertwining their fingers. "Yeah I figured that. No worries." She bit her bottom lip, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Looking down at the intertwined fingers, Delphine gently rubbed her thumb along the woman's knuckles. "Non. I've just never thought of bisexuality for myself. I know that sexuality is a spectrum, I just..." She pursed her lips, not sure with what she wanted to say. "This is just..."

With a playful roll of her eyes, Cosima wiggled closer, releasing the woman's hand just so she could caress her jaw. "Ok so obviously talking is going to be a problem for you." She placed a delicate kiss on the woman's lips before leaning back. "Do you trust me?"

"Oui. I just don't know if I'm ready for..." Delphine blushed.

Cosima grinned, taking the blanket from the woman and shaking it open. Moving even closer to the blonde, she settled it to cover both of them. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to." She pushed a bit of blonde hair behind the woman's ear. "Just so you know, I would totally not object to more kissing."

There was a short laugh that emerged from Delphine as she leaned forward to comply. They stayed that way for over an hour, trading kisses and sips of wine between laughing over the various nations' uniforms and the antics of the opening ceremonies. They had begun sharing stories about previous competitions when Delphine decided to come clean. "I have a confession." She had her head tipped to the side as Cosima was brushing feather-light kisses along the curve of her shoulder.

"A confession like you're not a natural blonde, or a confession like you're really from Montreal and secretly living among the French?" Cosima joked, breathing in the scent of Delphine's perfume.

Delphine chuckled. "Non. Nothing like that, although I'm not a natural blonde." She gave the woman a wry look. "On that first day we met, after you left for practice, I searched for you online."

"Yeah?" Cosima grinned, leaning back to take a sip of wine. "You were totally into me from the start. I knew it."

With a roll of her eyes, Delphine pinched the woman's side. "You are incorrigible."

"Obvs." She snuggled closer to the woman. "No, but that's oddly romantic, and totally encouraging. So tell me about me. Did you find my horrible website that my manager set up?"

"Well..." Delphine felt the woman's hand slip around her waist and cleared her throat. "You're one of four identical quadruplets, but you're the only athletic one."

"Well..." Cosima lifted a hand and wiggled it. "Kinda. We're all athletic, I'm just the only professional athlete."

"Mmmhmmm." Delphine recalled everything she could remember. "You live in San Francisco and you're a student in biology."

"Actually it's Evolutionary Development." Cosima interjected.

"If you'll stop interrupting." Delphine pinched her again with a smile. "Everyone says that you are going to win the gold." She leaned her cheek against the woman's temple. "It must be nice for people to believe in you so much."

Cosima shrugged. "It's a double edged sword. Their belief turns into disappointment pretty easily when you don't deliver." With a sigh, she closed her eyes, absorbing the warmth coming from the woman. "I googled you too. "

"Oh?" Delphine gave her a smirk, knowing that she did not have as much praise as the American did. In fact there were quite a few people that were upset that she was selected to go to the Olympics.

"I saw a few of your videos. You're a crazy good skater. I didn't understand any of the talking." Cosima shrugged. "It was all in French, except for wikipedia which was very descriptive with your birthday and helpfully informing me that you were participating in the Olympics this year."

Delphine laughed, brushing her lips against the woman's forehead. "I'm sorry I do not have as much publicity as you. I spent all my time training with a private coach." She closed her eyes thinking about the next day. "I should get some sleep." She really didn't want the night to end, but she knew she had to be rested for the next day. "I wish I could just spend all day with you."

Cosima tipped her head up, meeting the blonde's lips in a kiss she felt all the way to her toes. Her fingers curled around the soft material of the woman's jacket as she fought the urge to start undressing the blonde. When she pulled away, they were both breathing heavily. "Me too." She commented before moving to stand. She offered her hand to the blonde and helped her up, quickly gathering the stuff she'd brought. "So do you get to practice at all tomorrow?"

Capping the bottles of wine as she watched the woman fold and pack the blanket away, Delphine nodded. "Oui but it's not a real practice. It's more of a warm up time before competition." After everything was locked up, they rode down the elevator in companionable silence. "So..." Delphine unlocked her door, smiling at Cosima. "I'll see you on the track in the morning?" She asked hopefully, biting her bottom lip.

Cosima nodded, her eyes focusing on the woman's lips. "Of course." She rocked on her heels momentarily.

"Fais de beaux rêves, Cosima." Delphine leaned forward, very lightly brushing her lips against the American's. "Sweet dreams." She translated with a smile. Closing her bedroom door behind her, she was left with the vision of that lopsided smile as she leaned against the door, her own smile fading as she took in the darkness before her. The empty room was almost a death sentence in comparison to the delicious warmth of Cosima's body pressed against hers. Every blink brought with it a vision of dreads and hazel eyes, her body already missing the arm that had been draped across her midriff. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep. "Merde." She whispered to herself as she turned and opened the bedroom door again, not expecting the brunette to be leaning against it.

"Shit!" Cosima cursed as she fell backwards and landed with a grunt.

"Cosima!" Delphine quickly knelt beside her. "I am so sorry. I did not realize you were there."

Cosima couldn't contain her laughter as she laid on the floor, covering her face with a hand. "I am one smooth mother fucker." She shook her head in disbelief.

"What?" Delphine's brow furrowed as she helped the woman stand. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah yeah yeah." Cosima waived her off. "I'm good. I was not expecting that."

Delphine closed her bedroom door, flipping on the lights so she could look the woman over. "What were you doing?"

With an embarrassed grin, Cosima childishly scuffed the floor with her boot. " Maybe I was just enjoying the moment before I moved on to my lonely ass room with my crazy roommate who talks to her boyfriend on the phone all night." At the woman's disbelieving look, she shrugged. "Or maybe I'm a little drunk and maybe I was swooning a little bit." She rubbed at her cheeks, feeling the heat radiating from them.

Pushing the hands away, Delphine cupped the woman's face before suddenly pulling her forward, crushing her lips against the American's. She heard the woman's bag drop to the floor and clumsily fought with the woman's jacket, pushing the offending material off strong shoulders.

"Are you...sure...you want to...do this?" Cosima asked between kisses, her hands already removing the layers the blonde wore, already having kicked off her own shoes. "I mean...I'm sure...I do..." She couldn't stop her hands from pushing back material, her own clothes falling to the floor.

"You talk too much." Delphine commented as she pushed the American onto the bed, stopping any other questions with a searing kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

So many sensations and Delphine was lost in them all. Her heart was beating a thousand beats per minute and her blood was boiling with desire.

"You are so beautiful."

Delphine could feel the heat of Cosima's words as they passed her ear followed by lips that moved slowly down her neck. Their bodies were intertwined, a thigh slipping between her own as she moaned softly. It was different, the soft yet firm feel of the woman's body sliding against her own. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before and she craved more.

Hands...Delphine closed her eyes and she was overcome with exhilaration. Hands...lips...the delicious heat of the woman's tongue. Those soft and talented hands explored every inch of her body one agonizing moment at a time, caressing her ribs, sending a chill down her back. She could feel the smiling lips as they traveled a slow and tantalizing path down her body, kissing, licking, tasting, stopping at her breasts that ached in desire. Those strong fingers traced a path down her side, nails gently raking over her skin and leaving a path of fire as she tangled her fingers in the woman's dreads.

For a moment she felt the heat of the American disappear before she felt lips softly grazing her inner thigh.

"Delphine!"

Jumping slightly, Delphine opened her eyes and winced when her vision was filled with the aggravated face of Monsieur Allard. "Pardon?"

"Where is your head, Delphine?" He gave her a disapproving look.

Suddenly back in the present, Delphine waived him off. "Je suis désolée." She took a sip of her water, rotating her shoulders. After a long day, she was next to skate. She was trying to ignore everything that was going on around her, and her memories of the night before were a pleasant distraction.

There were no words to describe what she was feeling. It had been a rather awkward morning when she woke up that morning to Cosima curled up against her side and Isabelle standing over them, arms crossed over her chest. "Not a word." She had commanded at her roommate, switching to French in the event that Cosima would wake up.

Isabelle had smirked. "Non. I wouldn't dream of it." She had said before leaving.

Peeking down, she had found hazel eyes half-opened, watching her. Several kisses later and they had decided on skipping their normal run.

As if on cue she felt her phone vibrate in her jacket pocket and she retrieved it, finding a text message from none other than the shorter woman.

_"The camera loves you. You look fantastic. Good luck."_

Delphine looked around to see cameras and found one facing her. She winked at it quickly but did not have time to respond as she was escorted out of the room.

Delphine slipped out of her jacket as she took a look around the room once more before she took a deep breath. The ice was her second home. She had probably spent an equal amount of time on the ice as she did on dry land in her life. As the scores of the previous skater were announced, she tried to drown out the noise, gliding over to where Monsieur Allard was waiting for her.

"You look distracted. Are you here?" The older man spoke to her, his words sharp despite the smile he gave the crowd.

"Oui." Delphine smiled.

"Remember, this is only the Olympics." He gave her a pointed look. "Don't forget to smile." He pat her on the hand.

Delphine took a deep as her name was announced over the loudspeaker. As she circled the rink one last time and ended up in the center of the ice, she took her starting pose and exhaled. When the slow and haunting music started, her body was moving of its own accord, the choreographed movements already burned into her mind from previous competitions.

_"What are you skating to?" Cosima was sitting on the bed in her underwear and a long-sleeved shirt, her knees folded up against her chest as she watched Delphine move. _

_Delphine looked up from her position on the ground where she had been stretching. "La Petite Mort by Coeur De Pirate." She smirked at the American's confused face. "I am not a fan of skating to classical music. Coeur De Pirate is a singer in France that writes the most enchanting songs. We cannot have lyrics in the songs so it is an instrumental piece, shortened for the short program." _

_Cosima's brow furrowed. "So...la petite mort." She spoke in her American accent that made Delphine smile. "Isn't that what you guys call an orgasm?"_

_With a snort, Delphine got off the ground and moved to the bed, leaning in for a kiss. "You Americans and your sex, sex, sex." Another kiss and she smiled. "Non, it is a song about a woman who loses someone she loves deeply and how it is like a part of her dies as well. She regrets how it is too late to tell this person how much losing them hurts." _

_There was a heavy silence before Cosima responded. "Orgasms are less sad." She said before pulling the blonde in for another kiss, one that was deeper, one that seared itself into Delphine's mind. _

Delphine smiled as she landed a jump, the cold air invigorating her as she transitioned into a spin, holding the spinning pose easily as she moved.

_"Don't you get dizzy during those spins?" Cosima was watching one of her previous competitions. _

_"Do you get dizzy when you do your crazy flips? At least on skates I'm only spinning one way. I've seen your jumps flipping and spinning at the same time." Delphine pointed out._

_"Point taken." Cosima stuck her tongue out. _

She went through the choreography, the music guiding her movements as she set up for another jump. Every jump was hit and every move was graceful, but the audience was simply politely clapping. It was expected though, since most of the crowd would be cheering for their Russian starlets. Most skaters hated not getting a response, but she had a solution. She could hear the voice that was always light with a smile as Cosima repeated the different names of the jumps.

_"Triple toe. Triple Loop." She paused as her face scrunched up, trying to remember the next move. "Triple Sow Cow?"_

_Delphine had laughed. "Non. Salchow." _

One last jump landed and she was spinning again. The combination spin was the one that landed her in the Olympics, her years of ballet offering flexibility and grace some of her peers lacked. Another rotation and she slowed, stopping in her ending pose, her breath strained slightly as she took her bows. Finally there was applause and cheering, the loudest coming from her team in their designated box, the French flag being waived enthusiastically.

With a smile she made her way to the exit where she was greeted by Monsieur Allard. She was surprised as she was pulled into a hug before she could even snap on her guards.

"Magnifique!" Monsieur Allard exclaimed as he helped her into her jacket.

Dropping onto the bench she was told to, she smiled at the camera, barely hearing the words Monsieur Allard was telling her. She never liked waiting. Having to sit there smiling, waving at the camera when really she wanted to hide until the end of the night.

Finally the voice on the speakers called attention and her eyes went up to the scores. The moment her scores posted, she felt the relief flood her and the cheering from her team. 63.58. That put her in first place but there were still four skaters to go. She grinned widely and gave a thumbs up to the camera before it panned away to the current skater. She instantly reached for her phone where she found several text messages from friends and family and one she was interested in more than the others.

_"! ! ! ! ! ! !"_

That about summed up her own feelings at the moment.


	7. Chapter 7

There was a knock on the door and Delphine leaned out of the bathroom, her hands in her hair. "Could you get that?"

Isabelle pulled open the door and a smirk instantly covered her face. "It is the American." She called out in French, stepping to the side and gesturing for the shorter woman to enter. "She is cute, Lait. Very tiny but she has a pretty face. You have good tastes."

Cosima looked between the two women, wondering what was being said. "Umm...hi...I'm Cosima." She offered her hand to the dark-skinned woman.

"Bonsoir, Cosima." Accepting the hand, Isabelle smiled widely. "Isabelle. It's a pleasure." She spoke in English before switching back to French. "She has very strong hands."

Delphine shook her head and shooed the woman away. "Oh shut up, Isa." She stuck her tongue out at Isabelle.

"Save your tongue for your new girlfriend." Isabelle commented in French, grabbing her jacket. "I'm going to get drunk and find a bobsledder to fuck my brains out so I do not have to think about those assholes." She took a deep breath. "Enjoy your evening." She switched to English for the American before exiting.

Cosima gave Delphine a questioning look. "That was weird." With a flourish she presented a handful of flowers to the woman. "I thought you could use some cheering up." She grinned widely. "I might have stolen them from the front of the dining hall."

Accepting the flowers, Delphine laughed softly. "Thank you but I am ok. No cheering up needed." She looked around and settled on a takeout cup that Isabelle had brought back. It was going to have to do as a vase for now. "I was happy with my performance, and coming in third was not a disappointment."

Fidgeting with her hands, Cosima rocked on her heels. "I loved your skating. It was amazing!" She bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry about your team mates though. That was pretty crazy."

Delphine sighed softly, running a hand through her blonde hair. It had been a long night. The team competition required scores from three different performances in order to continue on. There was the short dance which Isabelle was part of. She skated the ladies short. Then there was the pairs free skate program. While both hers and the short dance had went successfully, the French pairs team had had a disastrous night on the ice, falling more than once and dropping their combined scores too low to proceed. That left her a week and a half to prepare for her singles competitions. "It is what it is." She commented, pulling the shorter woman to her.

"Hey." Cosima greeted the blonde again, slipping an arm around the taller woman's neck. "You know, you are amazing to watch, even if it was on tv." Tensing her arm, she pulled the woman down to her, smiling as the blonde's lips pressed against her own.

The kiss was soft and slow, ending with Delphine's forehead pressed against the shorter woman's. "You have to compete tomorrow, non?" She caressed the woman's face. "You should get your rest." Even as she said it she was unzipping the woman's jacket, pushing it off her shoulders.

Cosima chuckled. "Non." She mocked. "I can get plenty of rest before I hit the slopes." She kissed a path down the woman's throat. "I've got a lot of time before I need to get any shut eye." She felt hands slipping under her shirt, pulling it up and off. She began peeling off the blonde's clothes, pushing her back towards the bed. "What time do you practice tomorrow?"

Landing backwards on the bed, Delphine pulled the woman down onto her, laughing as the rest of their clothes were shed, replaced by the warmth of skin against skin under the quilted blanket. "I don't." Her hands danced over the woman's muscular body, slipping around to hug her tightly. "I was thinking about you all day." The confession slipped from her lips as the woman's hands began to travel over her body. "All I could think about was your body..." She brushed her lips against the woman's lips. "Your mouth..." She arched her body into the woman's touch. "Merde...your hands." She moaned as a hand slid between her thighs, just barely grazing her skin. "Cosima..."

"I was thinking about you too." Cosima kissed a path down the woman's chest, feeling the strong heartbeat against her lips. "Watching you and not being able to touch you." She circled the a nipple with the tip of her tongue, kissing the flesh as her fingertips slid through slick folds. "Especially now knowing what you feel like." She grinned at the loud moan she was rewarded with. "Especially knowing what your lips tastes like."

Delphine moaned again as she pulled the woman up, kissing her deeply. Her tongue slipped out to brush against the American's and just barely contained a whimper as she gave herself over to the wave of desire and pleasure that rooted from strong and nimble fingers.

Much later, Delphine was curled against Cosima's side, tracing a tattoo that was on the woman's forearm, a dandelion blowing in the wind. "Are you scared?"

Cosima chuckled. "Scared? Of snowboarding? No way." She ran her fingertips through blonde hair. "If I win, I win. If I don't, I don't." She shrugged. "Are you normally scared?"

Delphine thought about that. "I normally get really nauseous, but I wasn't this time." She bit her bottom lip. "I wasn't lying earlier. All I could think about was you." She blushed, which she also found funny since she was currently naked and had no excuse for feeling embarrassed. "I'm surprised I didn't fall on my ass, all I could think about was last night."

"I'm totally an inspiration." Cosima joked.

Delphine sighed softly. "Yeah." In reality, it was completely true. She had watched a replay of her skate, and it wasn't anything close to her normal routine. Skating had always been a performance for her, and emotion was one of her weak points. She believed that emotion limited technicality and left too much room for mistakes. Maybe she had been wrong. Watching herself skate, she could see her own emotions in her face, even if there was a sense of disconnect. She had lost herself in the skate and it was better than she'd ever performed.

"What are you thinking about?"

Putting a smile on, Delphine shook her head. "Nothing." If one night could affect her skating so much, what would happen now? "I'm starving. Will you join me for dinner?" What was it about the tiny American that distracted her so much? "After a shower of course?" At the woman's laugh they slipped out of bed. She found knowing hazel eyes watching her as fingers intertwined with her own, pulling her towards the bathroom. Was it a good or bad thing? She had a week and a half to work it out.

That suddenly prompted a new train of thought.

What would happen when the Olympics were over?


	8. Chapter 8

"Delphine!"

Looking up from the cup of tea she was drinking, Delphine smiled politely at the tall man who was waving her over. Mikey was one of the American snowboarders that had joined them in their morning run, usually very serious and quiet while working out, much to Delphine's approval. He was currently surrounded by a group of about 20 athletes who had commandeered a large section of the stands, talking and laughing amongst themselves. "Bonjour, Mikey."

"Hey, you got a ticket! Sweet!" He gestured for her to sit with them.

Delphine nodded as she accepted his offer, staying on the edge of the group where it wasn't as rowdy.

_It had been a surprise that morning. She had woken to Cosima sitting beside her on the bed, watching her sleep. She was fiddling with an envelope in one hand as she reached out the other to straighten the woman's blonde hair. "Good morning, sleepyhead." _

_Delphine had smiled brightly. "Bonjour, Ma Cherie." She captured the woman's hand, brushing her lips across the back of it. "Is it time for you to go already?" She tugged on the beige parka that hung from the woman's frame._

_Cosima nodded, her dreads already braided back so as to be as compact as possible. "Yeah, have to get some warm ups done before the actual competition." She looked away, a slightly uncertain look on her face, one Delphine never saw on the woman's face._

_With a furrowed brow, Delphine sat up. "Are you ok? I thought you don't get nervous." She looked at the envelope in the woman's hand. "What's that?" To her surprise the envelope was handed to her and she found a single ticket inside. _

_"I don't know if you'd want to go or anything, don't feel like you have to, but if you wanted to come watch..." She looked around, not wanting to see the look on Delphine's face. "I mean it's totally cool, it's up to you..." _

_Reaching out with gentle fingertips to turn the woman's chin to look at her, Delphine smiled softly. "I'd love to." She pulled the woman to her, sharing a soft kiss. _

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Delphine shook her head as she focused on the conversation again. The group was a pretty diverse one made of several different countries. The friendly conversation that drifted around the group helped to pass the time as they waited for the snowboarding to begin. Around them, the seats were beginning to fill in, the area getting loud with excitement.

" Delphine?"

Turning towards the sound of her name, Delphine blocked the sunlight as she focused on the woman next to her. "Cosima!" She stood up quickly before her brain kicked in. Everything was wrong. No glasses, no dreads, and her smile was tighter, hidden almost. If that wasn't enough, the bangs were a sure give away. "You're not Cosima." She blinked when another woman looking very similar but with blonde streaks in her straight brown hair popped up.

"This her?" Blonde streaks spoke with a lopsided grin, pulling at her scarf. "Normally they freak out more." She looked Delphine up and down. "Shit I owe Cos twenty bucks."

"Obviously." There was a smirk from Bangs as she offered her hand. "I'm Alison. Forgive us for the possible confusion my siblings love to instill in people." She smiled as the handshake was returned. "Cosima told us to look out for you."

Delphine gave her a surprised look. "She did?"

"Always the proper one, our Sis." Blonde streaks offered her own hand. "Sarah. " She turned when there was a laugh behind her.

Delphine caught sight of blonde hair and a child's laughter as the last of the four sisters arrived.

"There's my monkey." Sarah laughed as the girl reached out to her from her place atop her aunt's back. "This is our sister Helena, and my daughter Kira."

"Who's that, Mommy?" Kira peeked out from her spot against Sarah's shoulder. "She's pretty."

"She's alright, I guess." Sarah commented with a sniffle. "This is Delphine, a friend of your Aunt Cosima."

Delphine laughed at the comment as she held out a hand to the small girl. "Enchanté." As it turned out there were a few more introductions as the entire Niehaus family arrived. She couldn't help but wonder what Cosima had told them as her parents greeted Delphine cheerfully. She stored each face away with the memories of what Cosima had told her about them.

_"My dad is a biology professor at Berkley. My mom 's a pediatrician." Cosima was stretching after their run. "My sisters, well for sharing an egg we're all pretty different." She laughed an almost internal laugh, obviously having used the remark before. "Alison is a housewife with two kids. Sarah was always the rebel and she kinda ran away when she hit 18, running off to England with a drummer from some rock band. She ended up getting pregnant and everyone was surprised when she showed up at home with a baby girl." _

_"I bet." Delphine sipped from her bottle of water as they began the trek to the dining hall. "What about the other sister?"_

_Cosima sighed softly. "Helena." She grabbed a tray and handed one to Delphine. "She still lives at home, doesn't really work or anything." She waved at the omelet cook, pointing out her selections. "She hangs out with Sarah the most and she's great with Kira." _

_"So it's just the four of you?" Delphine offered the shorter woman a bowl of yogurt and saw that the woman had froze, a far off look on her face. "Cosima?"_

_"Yeah, sorry." She shook her head and gave the woman a half smile, accepting the yogurt and adding fruit to her tray. "We had another sister." She led the way to what was becoming their usual table. "Beth. She was a year older. She died when we were young, a car accident." _

_Delphine reached out to cover the woman's hand. "I'm sorry." _

_Cosima looked down at their joined hands and gave her a smile. _

The cheer of the crowd brought Delphine back to the present. The screens were displaying information and she could hear the chanting of the crowd as the event began.

"Do you know much about snowboarding?" This from Sarah who had taken the seat next to her, her daughter sitting in her lap, waving an American flag.

Delphine shook her head. "Non, I watched a few videos but I don't know how it's scored or anything. This does not look like the videos from the last Olympics."

"Aunty Cos is the best snowboarder ever!" Kira explained, her hands spread out and moving in a motion that was very familiar to the French woman.

Sarah laughed, in a surprisingly unfamiliar tone. "That's right, Monkey." She turned to Delphine. "It's a new event, this one. Cosima's main sport is the half-pipe but this is more like an obstacle course." She pulled out a pamphlet for the event that had a map of the area, pointing out the various obstacles. "There are rails and stuff that they get scored for making tricks off of, and then there are three jumps that are worth the most points."

Delphine nodded as she followed along. She could detect a faint English accent on the woman's words and guessed it was from the time the woman was overseas. The crowd cheered as the first athlete appeared on the screen. She wore the same beige snow gear Cosima had donned that represented the United States.

"That's Jamie. She's really good." Kira commented, waving her flag.

Watching as the woman took off, Delphine was careful to pay attention to everything that was going on. From the bottom of the course, they couldn't see the moves, but everything was playing on the large screens. It wasn't until the last jump that she could see the snowboarder launch into the air, twisting in impossible directions.

"That was a good run." Sarah commented, her jaw squared and her brow furrowed in contemplation.

Now with a frame of reference, each run went by quickly. Delphine watched each one carefully, mentally comparing each to the one before, trying to figure out the scoring method. Apparently more rotations during a jump were good, and falling was bad. That was really all she could decipher.

"There she is!"

Delphine looked up at the huge screen upon Kira's scream. Her face was hidden almost completely by a pair of bright green goggles, her feet secured to the board.

"Looks like she's in a good mood." Sarah smirked, casting a sideways glance at the blonde.

Delphine blushed slightly. The camera showed Cosima grinning brightly as she conversed with her coach, her hands moving as she spoke, illustrating whatever she was talking about. The coach shook his head but still had a smile on his face as he pat the woman on the shoulder. Delphine bit her bottom lip nervously as she watched the short woman wiggle her hips till she was at the starting point, sticking her tongue out with a grin before pushing off.


	9. Chapter 9

Delphine didn't know when she had started holding her breath. Maybe it was from the moment the woman began sliding down the white snow, or maybe it was the first leap onto the red rail, inertia working to keep her sliding forward along its length. Her emotions were all over the place. Watching the previous women had been one she could look at from an educational standpoint, but with Cosima she had a mixture of feelings. On one side she could feel the excitement running through her body, the same excitement she felt when she herself competed. On the other hand, she remembered watching the video from the last Olympics when a bad spin had sent the woman crumbling to the bottom of the half-pipe. Either way it was like she couldn't breathe, not until the woman was safely to the bottom of the slope and the run was over.

"Here comes the first jump." This was Sarah to Kira who was cheering on her lap.

The words did little to comfort Delphine as she watched the woman moving swiftly towards a sloped wall of snow. Her eyes doubled in size as she watched the woman launch into the air, making it look very easy as she reached down to get both hands on the board as she rotated in the air one and a half times, landing opposite her normal stance.

"Stomp it out, Cos...Yes!" Sarah cheered.

Delphine was sure she would have cheered, but her lungs were beginning to burn from holding her breath. She couldn't risk it. She couldn't risk breathing until Cosima was safe.

"Go, Aunty Cos!" This came from Kira just as Cosima hit the second jump. "Go go go!" The girl yelled as her aunt launched into the air, reaching to grab the nose of her snowboard as she spun two and a half times, landing in a puff of snow. "Woo hoo!"

It was almost over. Delphine was feeling slightly lightheaded and her heart was pounding in her chest as she watched the camera close up on the woman, the look of determination behind the goggles and the cocky smile on her lips as she headed for the last jump, the one they would all be able to see without needing the cameras. Watching as the woman took to the air, Delphine was mesmerized.

_"Merde." Delphine blinked as she stopped near the doorway of the gym. Part of the gym was sectioned off to have three large trampolines and one of them was currently being inhabited by a compact form doing impossible flips in the air. She watched as the woman curled into a ball, flipping over so quickly she couldn't even count the amount of times she flipped. Coming down, the trampoline sprung the small form back up and her body kept a straight form as it flipped and corkscrewed at once before she landed on her back on the trampoline with a laugh that brought a smile to Delphine's face as she found herself gravitating towards the trampoline. _

_"Delphine!" Cosima laughed as she clumsily crawled over to the edge before sliding to the floor. _

_Still unused to the building attraction that she was feeling, Delphine kept her eyes locked with the American's gaze. It had been so hard not to stare at the shorter woman's defined muscles that were gleaming slightly with sweat, especially since she was dressed only in a sports bra and very tight and very short workout shorts. "You're incredible. Is this always part of your training? I've never seen anything so amazing." _

_Cosima blushed a bright red that started at her shoulders and rose up her neck and up to her cheeks. "Some snowboarders do it, but it's rare. For me it was just...my mother insisted that gymnastics would both tire me out and work out my clumsiness." She was breathing hard from her workout and looked around for her water. "Little did she know it just built up my endurance and make me cocky." _

_Delphine offered the woman her own water, and she was rewarded with a lopsided grin and a brief brushing of fingertips as the woman accepted the bottle. "You? Cocky? Unbelievable." She laughed as the woman stopped mid sip. "Well, it's no wonder in your videos you always look so flawless when you jump." _

The height Cosima got off the ramp was both incredible and frightening, her tiny form twisting in air in two different directions as she spun two rotations at the same time as her body flipped over, her body compact and poised, not a single flaw.

"Holy shit." Sarah stood as she watched her sister's form right its way up and managed to pull her body around one more time for three complete rotations. As her snowboard hit the slope, the smile on her face was evident even without looking at the camera's close up.

There was a loud cheer that sounded from the crowd as Cosima thrust both arms into the sky in celebration as she came to a stop right in front of the cameras. Delphine exhaled in relief finally, clapping with the crowd as she watched Cosima being embraced by the other snowboarders. It was obviously a spectacular run from even the view of the other athletes as she watched Cosima being praised by the other women. For a brief moment, the American's hazel eyes found hers from the distance and not knowing what else to do, Delphine gave her a thumbs up. Cosima laughed before casting her eyes to the screen that would display her score.

Another loud cheer broke out through the crowd when the score posted. 95.0. That put Cosima in first place. "Go Aunty Cosima!" Kira yelled in excitement, cheering with the rest of the Niehaus family.

"That was amazing!" Delphine remarked to Sarah as they took their seats again and the next snowboarder began her run. "That is a good score, yes?"

Sarah nodded. "It's bloody amazing." She laughed. "The gold score for the men's run was 93.5. She's got a great chance at a win here." She looked at her personal score card. "There are two more first runs and then everyone gets one more run."

Delphine nodded as they watched the current snowboarder miss her landing just slightly, having to use her hand to steady herself. "So she has to do this one more time?"

"You got it."

Taking a deep breath, Delphine nodded again, sipping her tea nervously.

"Don't worry! Aunty Cosima is the best there is!" Kira supplied.

Despite her smile, Delphine was a wreck by the time Cosima's turn came up again. Competition was fierce and Cosima had been knocked down to second place by a quarter of a point by one of her fellow Americans. No other score came close, but Delphine knew how easily things could change. With the two women that followed Cosima, it was possible that she wouldn't medal, even with her amazing first run.

When the camera panned to Cosima at the top of the course, she had a more serious look on her face. She was shaking her head at her coach who looked like he was trying to convince her of something. As if sensing the camera, she put on a smile and pat him on the shoulder, ignoring anything else he said as she moved to the starting position. She stuck her tongue out just slightly before a determined look came on her face and she pushed off.

Delphine didn't hold her breath this time, but that didn't mean she was any less nervous. It was funny really, that during her own competition she didn't feel an ounce of worry as she took to the ice, but watching Cosima spin off one of the last of the rails and head towards the first jump was making her nauseous.

Cosima took to the air, her body pulled tight into a ball as she grabbed her board with two hands, flipping twice in the air with a single rotation. As she straightened and landed, the nose of her snowboard caught in the snow, pitching her forward. The camera caught the loud crack of her helmet shattering against the slope as her body tumbled down the hill.

"No no no." Delphine shot to her feet as she watched the screen showing the medical crew as they rushed to the unmoving form. Looking to her side, her eyes met the completely terrified look in Sarah's eyes, as she hugged Kira to her chest.


	10. Chapter 10

Delphine's hands shook as she pushed a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear, the orange glow of the setting sun lighting up the room in an eerie color. She was sitting in her room, curled on her bed, sipping from the near empty bottle of wine. A tear slipped down her cheek as she looked at the label, the Italian writing scribbled across the front. Cosima was right. The Italians did have the best wine. She rested her cheek against her knees, her mind replaying the scene that had happened that morning.

_Everyone was in a state of shock as they stared at the screen. The crowd was quiet as they watched the medics circle the crumpled form, blocking the camera from seeing what was going on. _

_"Come on, Cos. Get up." Sarah whispered, still holding Kira tight._

_"Please, God. Please, God." This from Alison who was wringing her hands together, staring up at the screen. _

_Delphine wrapped her arms around herself, watching the screen for any sign of movement from the American. "She's going to be ok." She didn't know if she was saying it to reassure the woman's family, or if she was trying to convince herself. She watched as the medics strapped the short woman to a stretcher. "Cosima..."_

_"Excuse me." A man appeared in the stands and began speaking to Cosima's parents. "They sent me to get you. Please follow me."_

_"Where are they taking her?" Alison quickly stood up._

_"Ma'am." The man nodded. "They are taking her to the hospital. If you come with me, I can take you there." _

_"Oh God." Alison began gathering her stuff. _

_"Are you coming, Delphine?" Sarah looked questioningly at the blonde. _

"Delphine?"

Jumping slightly, Delphine looked up as Isabelle sat on the bed beside her.

"Are you alright, Lait?" Isabelle wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulder. "I heard about this morning. Have you heard anything? Why aren't you at the hospital?"

Delphine shook her head. "They won't let me see her." She wiped at her eyes angrily. "Fucking Russia and it's bullshit politics. They say it's because I'm not family but they fucking let her coach in." She took a long sip from the bottle until there was nothing left, letting it drop to the ground. "I haven't heard anything in hours." She lifted her phone that showed no new alerts. Sarah had texted her a few times, but the news was sparse. Cosima was conscious, but there were a lot of tests that were being done.

Isabelle took the phone from her, setting it on the bedside table before disappearing into the bathroom. She brought a damp washcloth and wiped the blonde's tears away. "I think we should go break into that fucking hospital."

Looking up at the woman, Delphine could see she was serious. "We can't do that, Isa." She shook her head, but her heart knew it wouldn't take much convincing. "I don't want you to get in trouble. There is so much security, we will get caught."

"No we won't." She reached out and straightened the woman's blonde hair, giving her a reassuring smile. "Fuck those assholes if they think they can keep you from seeing her." She stood up and pulled Delphine up off the bed. "Come on, grab your coat and I'll find a way to get you in there."

Not sure of what else to do, Delphine grabbed her jacket, and detoured into the bathroom.

Isabelle slipped her own jacket back on and opened the bedroom door, screaming slightly when her exit was blocked. "Holy shit!"

"Shit sorry." The short woman spoke as she jumped back slightly.

Hearing the voice, Delphine quickly emerged from the bathroom. "Sarah? What's going on? Is Cosima ok?"

Sarah looked between Delphine and Isabelle before nodding. "Yeah...she's ok." She smiled brightly, taking a full step back. The space she vacated was suddenly filled by another sister.

"Cosima." Delphine took a half step forward, barely restraining herself from scooping the woman into her arms. Her eyes drifted up to the bandage on the woman's temple. "You're ok?"

Noticing the woman's hesitance, Cosima gave her a lopsided smile. "You could at least give me a hug, I've had a pretty crappy day." She joked.

Delphine didn't need to be told twice as she pulled the woman into a hug, unable to stop herself from breaking down as she inhaled the scent of the woman's perfume, trying to ignore the mixed in scent of the hospital.

"Hey hey hey." Cosima closed her eyes as she hugged the shaking woman, soaking in the warmth of her body. "I'm okay." She Ran her fingers through blonde hair. "I'm okay."

Sarah cleared her throat. "Ok, so...I just wanted to make sure she got here safely. I'm gonna head back."

Delphine pulled back, wiping away the new tears that had started falling. "I'm sorry, I just..." She shook her head, unable to voice what she was saying.

"I get it." Cosima cleared her throat before turning to her sister and hugging the woman quickly. "Thanks, Punk."

"No problem, Geek." Sarah grinned. "Let us know what you decide, ok? Get some rest."

"Let me walk you out." Isabelle spoke up as she edged out. "I was going to go find something else to do anyway."

Delphine gave her a grateful look as she watched the two women walk away. "I was so worried." Closing the bedroom door, she couldn't resist pulling the woman to her in a kiss. She felt hands slip around her waist and it was the most delicious thing she had ever felt in her life. Breaking off the kiss, she rested her forehead against the woman's. "Are you really ok?" She looked into the woman's hazel eyes, seeing a slightly dazed look. "You weren't moving...they wouldn't let me see you..." She shook her head and stepped away, wiping her tears angrily.

Cosima moved over to the woman's bed, glad to be sitting down again. "I know. I know." She tossed her jacket on the nearby chair, but not without a wince. "They were all talking in Russian and they wouldn't let me use a phone and it was test after test after test." She shook her head and sighed softly. "They wanted to keep me overnight but I managed to convince them to spring me." She held a hand out to the woman, pulling her to the bed. "I knew you must be freaking out."

With a heavy sigh, Delphine sat facing her. "Are you ok?" She asked again.

Nodding, Cosima's hand went up to her bandage. "Just a knock on the head. " She reached her arm out, pulling the blonde to her. "I was knocked unconscious, but I'm ok. I'm fit as a fiddle...a slightly bruised fiddle, but I'm all good." She reached out and pushed the blonde's jacket off her shoulders. "So...I hear I won a silver medal?"

Delphine laughed at that, nodding as she allowed the woman to peel away her clothes. "You did." She reached her own shaky hands out, removing the woman's jacket, noting every wince and cataloguing them away to chastise the woman later. "Not bad for an American." She joked.

Chuckling, Cosima lifted her arms so the blonde could remove her shirt, hearing the woman's gasp as she saw the bruise on her torso. "It looks worse than it is." She tipped the woman's chin up, leaning forward and kissing her softly.

Pressing the woman back onto the bed, Delphine couldn't stop herself from running a hand gently over the purplish mark that went from the woman's ribs to her hip on her left side. "It was so scary, Cosima." She looked up to see hazel eyes watching her intently. "Seeing you fall..." She kissed the woman's lips. "When you weren't moving.."

Reaching up, Cosima caressed the woman's cheek. "I know. I'm sorry."

"No you don't know." Delphine shook her head quickly. "Merde, You don't understand." She looked down at the bruise again. "All I could think was how close I was to losing you."

"I know." Cosima pulled her down and kissed her. "I'm here." With a bit more effort than she was used to, she rolled the blonde onto her back, covering the longer body with her own. "I'm right here."


	11. Chapter 11

"What did Sarah mean?" Delphine traced a path around the edge of the woman's bruise, careful not to press too hard. It was a dark shade of purple and she imagined it was going to take some time to heal. Looking up, she found confused eyes staring at her. "When she was leaving, she said for you to let them know what you decide. Decide about what?"

Cosima was toying with a lock of blonde hair and shrugged. "I still have an event." Adjusting her position, she rolled onto her uninjured side to face Delphine. "I'm glad I won the silver in slope-style, ecstatic even, but it's not why I'm here." She ran her fingertips up the woman's arm. "I came to compete in the half-pipe."

Delphine sat up almost instantly. "You cannot be serious." The look on the woman's face was one that said she wasn't joking. "Please tell me you're not serious." She gave the woman a disbelieving look.

With a wince, Cosima sat up, capturing Delphine's hand. "Delphine..." When she pulled it away, Cosima sighed heavily in frustration. "Hey, come on. I've been working on this most of my life. I can't just give up now because I fell." She reached for the blonde again.

Slipping out of bed, Delphine pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, disappearing into the bathroom. She didn't want to argue, but just the thought of Cosima getting hurt again was causing a pain in her chest. From what she remembered in the videos, there was a lot more jumping which was a larger risk of getting hurt. She returned to the room, pacing.

"Delphine, I don't want you to worry, but I have to..."

"I know, I know." Delphine cut her off as she ran a hand through her hair, trying to rid herself of the sudden anxiety that was coursing through her veins. "I know you have to do this. I just..." She shook her head, still pacing back and forth.

"Will you come here please?"

Delphine grabbed a bottle of water, taking a long sip before looking over at the bed. There was no way she could resist a pouting, injured, and naked Cosima. With a disgruntled huff, she sat down and offered the water to the American. "You didn't see it. I know you were the one that fell, but you weren't there in the stands watching it." She looked down at her feet, trying to find the words to explain what it was like. "You weren't moving and all we could see was the medics surrounding you. It was the hardest thing I ever had to watch."

Cosima was quiet for a minute, taking a sip of water as she gathered her thoughts. "You're right. I'm sorry." She tugged on the edge of Delphine's shirt, setting the water on the nightstand. "I don't know what you were seeing. I'm sure it was pretty scary." She didn't get a response and pursed her lips. "I can tell you it was pretty scary, waking up strapped to a stretcher, not really sure what had just happened." She waited until Delphine looked at her. "It took me like 2 minutes to stop panicking and remember the fall. I know everyone saw it, not just in the stands, but people across the globe, my family...and then I was embarrassed."

"What?" Delphine gave her a disbelieving look. "What were you so embarrassed about?"

Rolling her eyes, Cosima laid back down in bed and pat the sheets, grinning when Delphine huffed once more before slipping under the quilt again. She snuggled up to the woman's warm body, nuzzling the soft curve of her neck. "Well there I was, this super bad ass snowboarder, like supposedly the American poster child, trying to impress this super sexy blonde in the stands, and I'm tripping over myself and eating snow the first time she sees me compete." She laughed when the blonde playfully slapped her arm. "Talk about embarrassing."

Delphine sighed softly when an arm draped over her stomach and lips brushed against her neck. "I was very impressed by your first run." She turned to look at the woman and found her lips captured in a kiss. All the tension she had been harboring seeped out of her as she enjoyed the lazy exploration. After a moment she broke off the kiss, caressing the woman's face. "I'm so scared of it happening again." Looking into hazel eyes, she traced soft lips with her thumb. "Do you think it's possible to love someone after only knowing them for a week." She didn't know why she was saying it. It was something she'd been thinking about for the past few days, even before their relationship had turned physical. There was just something about being with the American that felt more intimate than any relationship she'd ever had.

Reaching up, Cosima pushed Delphine's hair behind her ear, tracing the line of her jaw. "Well, scientifically speaking, studies show that the medial prefrontal cortex is capable of suggesting an ideal mate within as little time as 0.2 seconds. Accompanied with the deductive powers of the rostromedial prefrontal cortex, the body can release the hormones like oxytocin and dopamine that people associate with love." She licked her lips when she noticed the amused look Delphine was giving her. "From personal experience, no, I don't _think_ it's possible." She smiled softly, letting the answer hang in the air for just a moment before adding "I _KNOW_ it's possible." She pulled the woman forward for another kiss, her hands slipping around the firm waist and under the woman's shirt.

With a chuckle, Delphine pulled back. "Did you really just geek out on me?" She allowed the woman to pull her t-shirt off, reveling in the warmth of the woman's body against her own.

Cosima gave her a knowing smirk. "Hey, science is sexy." Her hands slipped over smooth hips, dragging the woman's sweatpants as well. "Let's make crazy science." She whispered against the woman's breastbone, tasting the slight saltiness of her skin.


	12. Chapter 12

"Oof!" The wind was knocked out of Delphine as she botched the landing on a double axel, sending her sliding on her behind across the ice. "Merde." She shook her head in disgust and pushed herself up, trying to rid her mind of the distracting thoughts that were coursing through her brain. There was a sharp whistle and she turned to see Monsieur Allard gesturing for her to come over. "Fuck." The American word that Cosima had a favor for slipped out of her mouth.

"Delphine. Explain to me what is happening. That is the third time you've fallen in an hour!" The veins on his temple pulsed as his face contorted in anger, obviously trying not to shout at the top of his lungs. "Where is your head?"

Delphine drained half of the water bottle that was on the wall beside her coach. "I'm sorry." She wiped her face with a towel. "I did not get much sleep last night." She knew the excuse was flimsy, but she didn't really want to explain the real reason. She couldn't stop thinking about Cosima's fall.

"Do not apologize." He gave her a stern look. "Just stop falling."

Delphine nodded, pushing off the wall and starting another circle around the ice, taking notice of where the other skaters were on the ice. She could see a few skaters in the stands, watching her and talking amongst themselves. Occasionally they would laugh and look at her, and smirk. It seemed to be happening more so today than at any other practice and she summed it up to the fact that she was missing half of her jumps. She tried to block it out, to block everything out, but the one thing she couldn't block out was Cosima.

_"I have to go." Cosima was laughing, trying to pull away from the safe-haven the bed provided._

_"Non." Delphine had the woman pinned down with half her body, her leg wrapped firmly around the shorter woman's. "Can I not convince you to stay?" This was nothing more than a whisper as Delphine nuzzled the woman's neck. She felt the shudder course through the American and knew it wouldn't take much. _

_It was still dark out and after a whole day of lounging around and being subjected to Delphine's assistance in "healing", Cosima was set on getting on the mountain again. That is, of course, if she could shake her lovely personal nurse who was set on forcing her to rest one more day._

_But one more day wouldn't work for her. Staying in bed the day before, she'd lost half of her prep time. She now only had one day's worth of practice to see if her injuries would stop her from competing. Instead of fighting, Cosima used the last ounce of resolve she had to caress her cheek, her eyes turning serious. "I have to go." _

_It worked. Delphine let her hand slip over the bruise that was beginning to fade around the edges, obviously healing. The cut on the woman's forehead had healed already and just had a small band-aid on it. Delphine closed her eyes, but was assaulted with the vision of Cosima's fall. "Promise me you'll be safe?" _

_Cosima rolled their joined bodies over so that she was now on top, no longer getting any resistance from the blonde. "You know I will." She brushed her lips against the blonde's. "Hey." She waited until the woman's eyes opened and looked up at her. "I love you." _

_It was amazing how three tiny words could hold such power over someone. Delphine had heard them before, from previous suitors trying to get more of her attention. They had always been used as a tool against her, from the first time she heard them in grade school, when she had fallen for a boy's honest eyes and irresistible charm. She had fallen for them in college, fleeted romances she thought would withstand the pressure of her school and training schedule. She'd begun to say them less and less, each mistake tainting her view on the words. Looking up at soft hazel eyes that looked past all the pain and bullshit of her past, she couldn't not feel the same. She had been so puzzled to find that despite trying to avoid these situations, she knew she was lost the first time she'd laid eyes on the short American that fated morning on the running track, when a series of unfortunate mistakes had led her to being at the wrong camp, but on the correct path. "I love you too." _

Delphine felt her skate hit the ice as she landed the jump, the cold air whipping past her. There was a loud buzzer that meant the end of their practice and she smiled as made her way to the door, accepting the blade guards from her coach.

"Good. Next time, less falling, more doing." He held out her jacket for her.

Delphine immediately reached for her cell phone, smiling when she found a text message.

_Still alive, but this half-pipe is kicking my ass. I may need you to kiss a few bumps when I see you. _

She felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster. She didn't know whether to be happy, scared, or aroused.

_Be safe and I'll kiss anything you want._

She nodded, trying to lessen the anxiety she felt in the pit of her stomach. Looking up, she found Monsieur Allard watching her. "Sorry did you say something?"

The older man grunted. "You should go back to your room and get changed. You have an interview in an hour."

"An interview?" Delphine thought back to her schedule. She wasn't aware of an interview.

"Oui." The gruff man looked out onto the ice, not looking at the blonde. "There have been many questions, Delphine." After a long moment, he turned and faced her. "What is this American to you?"

The question came from around a blind corner and Delphine blinked. "What?"

"I'm not stupid, girl. I know the types of things that happen here, but you cannot let it distract you." He shook his head, pulling out a copy of an American paper.

Delphine accepted the paper and was surprised to see herself in the picture. It was a story on Cosima's accident, and sure enough there was a photo of her in the waiting room, crying into her knees that were tucked against her chest, being comforted by Sarah. She rolled her eyes at it. Why America always had to focus on such trivial things when Cosima was injured, she didn't know. "She is..." Delphine paused as she thought of what to describe Cosima as. Her girlfriend? Her lover? Someone she could no longer live without? "She's a very good friend."

Monsieur Allard nodded. "And that's exactly what you will say." He paused. "Did you think that no one would notice the family bringing you along to the hospital?" He shook his head with a sigh. "Look, I don't care who you bring to your bed, man, woman, sheep, I don't care. Just remember that you worked on this your entire life, and your reputation and career...as well as my reputation and career...are on the line." He looked sternly into the hazel eyes to make sure she was paying attention. "Get your head in gear."

With a heavy sigh, Delphine folded the paper and tucked it in her jacket pocket. She wasn't exactly sure what Cosima was going to think of it.


	13. Chapter 13

"Bonne après-midi, Mademoiselle Cormier." The tall and slim woman offered her hand to Delphine, her smile beaming as the blonde accepted it. "Thank you for coming, my name is Angelique Prevot. I must say that I am a big fan."

Delphine returned the smile, taking the seat that was indicated, taking note of the camera man and the bright lights. "Thank you. That is very kind of you to say. Are you enjoying the games so far?" She asked politely.

"Yes, very much so." The reporter took her own seat, preferring to keep the interview as casual as possible. She adjusted her jacket and pulled out a stack of note cards that had small writing scribbled across its surface. "Are you enjoying your time here?"

"Well..." Delphine wiggled her hand. "It's had its ups and downs." She fought the urge to run a hand through her hair, having had her look approved by the make-up woman that was standing against the wall of the room.

The reporter signaled the cameraman to start filming. "So, Mademoiselle Cormier..."

"Delphine, please."

"Pardon. Delphine, this is your first Olympics, correct?" At Delphine's affirmative nod, she continued. "As a first time Olympian, how would you rate your time here so far?"

Delphine smiled, knowing the simple questions were always a way to lay the foundation to the questions she didn't really want to deal with. "Well, it's definitely been an experience. As an athlete, this is the highest mark there is to hit, and I feel very blessed to b e able to represent my country in something that I completely love to do. I would say it's one of the best experiences of my life." It was an answer very similar to one she'd given in previous interviews, but she didn't care much.

The interviewer nodded. "And you've been doing a great job so far. We were all mesmerized by your performance during your team skate. There are many who believe that your performance was one of the best we've seen from you."

Another nod. "I believe it was very successful. I was completely happy with it."

" Were there any contributing factors to this particular skate that had such a dramatic effect on your performance?"

_Cosima_. Pursing her lips to keep the response back, Delphine took the moment to seem as though she was thinking. "My coach, Monsieur Allard, is very good at what he does. We have been working very hard to find the flaws in my skating and we've been working on improving every element." It was a textbook answer, and she swore she could see the woman's eyes narrow just slightly at the answer. "He has been a great coach. I've been working with him for years now and I can honestly say I was quite a mess on the ice before we met."

"Yes well, bravo on his part." The woman gave Delphine a more serious look. "It's been a very busy Olympics but I did manage to catch your practice session today. You seemed to be having a little trouble landing your jumps. Is this something that we should be worried about?"

_Merde_. Delphine felt her smile waver slightly as she answered. "Non. Everyone has an off day."

"There are some who are also afraid that your magnificent performance, and it was quite stunning, was something of a fluke."

The lights of the camera were suddenly feeling very hot and Delphine could feel a small rage building in her stomach from the insinuation. "Well there's nothing to worry about. There are many things that contribute to a good performance: skill, practice, being well rested, and especially being very focused." She paused briefly, trying to choose her words carefully. "I will admit that my mind was a little distracted today." She weighed the pros and cons of where she could direct the interview, and decided to bite the bullet. "It has been a rather long couple of days. A friend of mine was injured recently and it has been on my mind quite a bit. While it has been distracting, I was able to pull it together by the end and I believe that going forward it should not be a problem."

"A friend." The reporter flipped through her note cards that she had in one hand. "Would that be the American snowboarder, Cosima...Newhouse?"

"Niehaus, and yes." Delphine nodded, shifting slightly in her seat. "As most of the world saw, she did end up falling in her last run the other day and had to be carried off the slopes. I was very concerned for her safety."

"Did you know Mademoiselle Niehaus before the Olympics?"

Delphine knew the next line of questioning and where it was going. "Non, I met her the first morning here at the village."

The woman nodded. "Yet, a recent picture has surfaced of you quite distraught over the accident"

Delphine shrugged, giving off an air of nonchalance despite the fact that really her instincts were to stand up and leave the room.. "I imagine I reacted as anyone would upon seeing a friend injured and not knowing if they were ok." She paused briefly before continuing. "We have gotten to be quite close since meeting. She is a great person and anyone who knows her has been quite worried."

"So she is just a friend." The woman smirked. "Rumor has it that she is more than just a friend."

Delphine sighed softly.

_She had returned to her room to find Cosima sitting in the hallway, sporting a black eye and a million-dollar smile."Hey gorgeous." _

_"What do I tell them?" Delphine was sitting on the edge of her bed, the article in her hand after having shown it to the woman._

_Fingers caressed her jaw, tipping her head up so she could look up at the American who was standing in front of her. _

_"What do you want to tell them?" Cosima leaned down to kiss her softly, meaning to be more tender and reassuring than anything else. _

_Delphine shrugged, a move that was very unnatural for the woman's usual confidence. _

_"Delphine." Cosima sat down beside her, twining her fingers with the blondes. "I've been out of the rainbow closet for years, but I know what it's like. If you want to say we're just friends, that's fine. If you want to say we're more, that's fine too."_

_Leaning against the woman's shoulder, Delphine looked at their joined hands. "But what are we?" She brought the back of the woman's hand up to her lips, brushing her lips across the soft skin. Reaching out she carefully caressed the woman's face, mindful of the new bruise. "What am I to you?"_

_Cosima tilted her head to the side, giving her a look as if the answer was obvious. "Everything." _

"Madam Prevot..." She smirked as the woman's eyes narrowed again at the title. Delphine crossed her legs as she took a more relaxed position. "You would think that a woman in your position would not be so susceptible to rumors and gossip spread between competing entities." She picked up one of the water bottles that was resting on the table near her seat, unscrewing the top and taking a sip.

"So you're saying it's just rumors?" The woman rose an eyebrow.

Delphine smiled. "I'm saying you shouldn't listen to rumors. As a species you would think that what's more important is to focus on the person that's hurt. Here we have a previous medal winner, an Olympic athlete with no intentions but to represent her sport and country, and she is injured to the point where she has to be carried off the slopes, and we are so focused on stories and rumors. Cosima is a remarkable person and it was a very traumatic moment for not just myself, but for others as well. It's a miracle she wasn't hurt more than she was."

The reporter looked at Delphine as though she were weighing her own options.

Delphine just smiled.


	14. Chapter 14

"What are you thinking about?"

Delphine stopped the slow stroking of her thumb against the woman's stomach, looking up to see hazel eyes watching her. Shaking her head, she buried her face in the woman's shoulder. She had been deep in thought, her mind turning to morose thoughts even as she absorbed the warmth radiating off the American's body. How could she tell the woman what she was thinking? The very thoughts sent her mind in a depressing spiral. She couldn't imagine actually voicing them.

"Hey." Cosima tipped the woman's face up to look in her eyes. "What's going on?"

After coming back from the interview, she'd told the woman about her responses.

_"You said what?" Cosima was sitting on Delphine's bed, again stripped down to just a t-shirt and her underwear, causing Delphine to guess that the woman spent a lot of time at home dressed just the same. "My my my, Mademoiselle Cormier. You are full of surprises." _

_Delphine had been checking over her skates when the French words tumbled cheekily from the American's mouth. It hit her right in the gut and it took bare seconds before she was pressing Cosima back onto the bed. "Say that again." _

_"Mademoiselle Cormier." Cosima repeated, putting as much of a French accent into the words as she could. "Madem..."_

_Delphine cut her off with a kiss, hearing a muffled giggle from the woman as hands began exploring skin._

Now they were wrapped up in each other, their legs a tangle of limbs and blankets, a light glistening of sweat still on their skin. Delphine didn't want to say the words out loud. She didn't want to ruin the moment. She wanted to commit each breath the snowboarder took to memory. She wanted to breathe in the scent of the woman's shampoo, the scent of her sweat, the scent of her sex, and the mixture of them all that still lingered in the air. The scent teamed with the gentle beating of the woman's heart created the perfect memory of the perfect moment. It hurt because she knew it would all end soon.

Cosima ran a hand through blonde hair, sorting the curls. "Please tell me what's wrong."

With a sigh, Delphine brushed her lips along the woman's collarbone, trying to distract the woman. She wanted to distract her own mind from the thoughts that threatened to break her. Her hands slid along the muscular torso, mindful of the still healing bruise, caressing and teasing as she moved to meet the woman's lips. To her surprise, the kiss was not returned and she found a gentle grip on her wrist stopping her touches.

"Delphine." The voice was soft and calm, yet demanding and persistent. "What's going on in your head?"

She didn't know when she started crying, but all she knew was that she couldn't stop. She felt the sobs wracking through her and they just kept coming. She knew that Cosima must be confused, hell she was confused herself. She was sure the last thing the American wanted was to be coddling an inconsolable mess the night before her competition.

Cosima caressed the woman's bare back, trying to rub soothing patterns in the soft skin. "Shhh." She wasn't 100% sure what was going on, but she continued to run a hand through the woman's blonde hair and her other running up and down her back. "It's going to be ok." She wasn't blind. She knew what their biggest problem was, and she just guessed this had something to do with that.

It felt like an eternity before she could gather her wits. "I'm sorry." Delphine angrily wiped away her tears. She couldn't believe she let herself lose control like that. She sniffled, hiding her face in her hands. "Merde."

"Hey." Cosima pushed the blonde hair back, her hands circling the woman's wrists and trying to pull them away from the woman's face. "Talk to me, please."

Delphine looked up, into the woman's eyes, seeing the genuine concern there. It only made her heart hurt more. "You're last event is tomorrow." She set her head down on the woman's shoulder. "We haven't talked about when you were leaving." She sighed softly, more of a whimper really, fighting the urge to cry again.

"Oh." Cosima tilted her head to look into red-rimmed eyes. "Is that what this is about?" She dramatically rolled her eyes. "Delphine, if I were leaving in a day I would have told you." Cosima grinned as she sat up and reached for her bag, tugging it over, forcing the skater into a sitting position.

"What? What are you doing?"

Pulling out an envelope, Cosima handed it to the blonde, grinning as she nuzzled the woman's bare shoulder.

"Cosima...I already have the ticket for tomorrow." Delphine protested but opened the envelope. "Why would you..." She let her words fade off as she looked at the tickets. Ladies Single Figure Skating. It was a ticket for each night of her event. She let her eyes look up at the woman.

"I'm not leaving yet." Cosima caressed the woman's cheek, wiping away a tear that fell. "I would never deprive us of these days together." She grinned cheekily. "Plus...I hear you skate like crap when you're worried about me."

Delphine smacked her arm gently. "Merde! Shut up!" She laughed and set the ticket on the bedside table before pulling the woman forward for a kiss, this time getting no resistance. "You are such an asshole." She pressed against the woman, her tears forgotten. "Such an incredible asshole." Her hips settled between strong thighs that pressed against her sides. "You are everything to me." Her lips pressed against the woman's, she smiled, caressing the soft cheek as she pulled away, looking into hazel eyes.

"Je t'aime, Delphine." Cosima whispered softly, as though speaking them too loudly would send Delphine into another crying fit. "Je t'aime."

The woman's American accent completely brutalizing her native language brought a big smile to Delphine's face and she placed a soft kiss on the woman's nose. "Je t'aime, Cosima." She brushed her lips over the one bruised cheek. "Je t'adore." She felt the woman's hands sliding down her side, one slipping between their joined bodies. She fought the urge to close her eyes, instead looking deep into hazel eyes that were inches from her own, feeling them staring into her soul just before lips captured hers, swallowing the moan that would have otherwise filled the air.


	15. Chapter 15

They were in Cosima's room, her roommate already up and gone for the day. With just over an hour left before the brunette had to head to the slopes, Delphine was laying on her stomach on the American's bed watching Cosima who was most of the way through a yoga routine, much to Delphine's bemusement. She could see the beads of sweat collecting on the woman's skin as she moved her body in an odd position, holding it for a set duration of time. She found it very out of character that the woman who was always on the go, always moving, always in action, would choose something so calm and still.

Then again, Delphine couldn't complain. With the American only in a pair of form-fitting workout shorts and a sports bra, every time she switched positions, Delphine could see the smooth movement of toned muscles. While relaxed, the compact form offered a delicious softness that Delphine appreciated, but when she was working out and her muscles tensed, her body became a well-sculpted personification of strength.

"I can feel you staring." Cosima commented, her eyes closed and her voice breathy.

Delphine at least had the decency to blush. "Sorry." She pushed herself into a seated position, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees. "I was just thinking."

"Do I want to know about what?"

"Isabelle told me that a lot of athletes spend all their free time at the Olympics having sex." She looked down at her fingers that were picking at the blanket on the bed, a flutter making itself very evident in her gut. "I did not understand before...but I think I do now."

Cosima snorted as she pushed her body up off the floor. "Oh you do, do you?"

A smile tugged at Delphine's mouth. "Oui." She looked up to see the shorter woman standing there watching her with her hands on her hips. "You are breathtaking." She gestured for the woman to come closer.

Raising an eyebrow, Cosima moved over to the bed, grinning as she reached out and her fingers intertwined with the blondes. She felt herself being tugged onto the bed and resisted. "I'm all sweaty."

"I know." Delphine tugged a little harder until the woman was kneeling in front of her on the bed. "I'm trying to commit everything about you to memory, even the you that is all muscles and sweat."

Cosima caressed the woman's cheek, looking into hazel eyes that stared back at her. She could see the sadness in the woman's eyes and her brow furrowed.

Suddenly it was a fight to hold back the tears as Delphine's hands slid up the woman's sides, creating a physical memory to go with her mental one. She felt the muscles in the woman's abs tense as she leaned forward for a kiss. She memorized each movement. She memorized the smell of sweat and sweetness that was Cosima. Brushing her lips along a shoulder, she memorized the salty taste of her skin. Allowing herself to be pushed backwards, she memorized the feeling of the woman's weight as she was pressed against the bed.

* * *

"Delphine!"

Her name was shouted by a group and she couldn't help but smile. She waved her hand at the family as she navigated the stairs. "Bonjour!" This time she was greeted by hugs and smiles by each of the Niehauses, making her way down the line to the seat that was saved for her.

"You're looking a lot better." Sarah smirked as the blonde sat down.

"I feel better." Delphine smiled. "Nervous, but definitely better."

"Yeah." Sarah laughed as she gestured to her family who was a lot more sedate than it used to be. "This lot here are the same." She shook her head. "Look at that little shit, just soaking up the attention."

Following the woman's pointing finger, Delphine caught sight of the short American being interviewed. Cosima had a big grin on her face, her hands flying through the air as she explained something. The woman looked confidant and radiant. "I don't know how she does it. I would be so nervous."

"Well she's good at what she does." Sarah shrugged. "The way I see it, she either falls or she doesn't. Best we can do is cheer and make sure she sees us smile so she doesn't get nervous."

From her time with the snowboarder, Delphine knew she was overflowing with confidence. She breathed it, and depended on it to get through her day. Looking at the woman, Delphine nodded, completely understanding what she was saying. "Yes, but it is still hard."

Sarah pat the blonde on the shoulder. "Hey, this is her last competition at least. I doubt she'll ever stop, but at least the pressure is off." She chuckled. "You should see her on a real slope, though. Talk about scary."

Delphine looked from the American to the half-pipe that was in front of them. This was exactly like the videos she'd seen from the previous Olympics. She was so nervous for the woman, but she had tried to put up a brave front. This was the American's last Olympics. She felt her smile waver. Would she ever get to see Cosima on a real slope? The woman lived completely on the other side of globe from her and it was a discussion they constantly skirted around. They only had a week left together and just the thought of their inevitable separation sent a spike through her chest, robbing her of her breath.

"What's a babe like you doing in a place like this?"

Delphine jumped slightly, turning to find a laughing woman. "Cosima!" She couldn't believe she had been distracted to the point that she missed the woman joining them.

Laughing, Cosima wiggled her fingers in greeting to her family. "Hey guys." She smiled brightly as she was pulled into several hugs.

Her hand covering her heart, Delphine took a steadying breath as she watched the woman conversing with her siblings. She had not had a chance to see the woman interact with her family, except for that short moment with Sarah, so it was almost a surreal experience.

"Yeah, I totally qualified so I get to sit and watch the semi-finals with you guys." Cosima responded to her parents questions, stretching slightly, dressed in her snowboarding gear. She gave a high-five to her niece and accepted the praise from her family.

When the American looked her way, Delphine smiled brightly. When the American wiggled her way between her and Sarah, she nudged the woman. "Excuse you, I was having a pleasant conversation with your sister."

"Oh really?" Cosima grinned, sticking her tongue out slightly. "You like her better than me?"

"Oi! Delphine and I are best buds now." Sarah commented, pushing her sister slightly. "Right, Frenchie?"

Pursing her lips, Delphine nodded quickly. "Oui. Very best." She agreed, laughing at her partner's narrowed eyes and suspicious look even as a cheer sounded as the semi-finals began.


	16. Chapter 16

It was on the last jump of the American's first run that nearly scared Delphine out of her seat. After having sat through jumps from all but Cosima and one other athlete, the brunette had a glorious run, grabbing more air than most of the other snowboarders, her compact frame flipping and spinning in impossible directions and with scary speed...until the last jump. So far she had been landing everything perfectly when Delphine felt her heart stop. As Cosima was coming down from the last jump, maybe it was the fear of her last fall, but she landed slightly off balance, her board too far ahead and she slid momentarily on the seat of her pants before pulling herself up to a stand.

"Shit." Sarah cursed, shaking her head.

"Damn it!"

Both Sarah and Delphine turned to look at Alison who had been quiet the entire competition.

"What?" The suburban housewife looked defensive.

Delphine watched as Cosima slid to the padded seat, waving at the crowd as she gave them a tight-lipped smile. She recognized the look of disappointment on the woman's face and felt an ache in her chest, wishing she could pull the woman into a hug. "That is bad, correct?" She asked Sarah.

"Yeah." Sarah nodded. "She'll get a deduction for falling, usually big enough to knock you out of the running, but she has another run, so there's still hope for her to get the highest score."

Looking up at the screen, Delphine frowned as the score was revealed. 85.5. She watched as Sarah scribbled the score down. "That is not so bad. She is in third place."

"Yeah, but the best scores are always in the second runs. She's not going to medal with an 85."

Judging from Cosima's face, Delphine knew it was true. The woman gave another quick wave before being ushered away. "She looks so upset." There was something about the look on the woman's face that tore at her heart. This was her last attempt and despite the woman trying to play it off as not a big deal, she knew how false that was.

"She's going to win." Kira nodded, chewing on a pretzel she was sharing with Helena.

Delphine leaned forward so she could see the girl. "You think so."

Kira nodded again. "Yep." She smiled brightly.

Despite Kira's reassurances, Delphine found herself getting more nervous as the athletes competed. Sarah had been right. Cosima was now knocked down fifth place by the time her turn came up. Currently in first place was her teammate, another American who was seated on the padded bench next to the current second and third place athletes. She looked up at the screen that showed Cosima already strapped to her board, chatting with the two men at the top of the slope. She had a grin on her face as she playfully rocked back and forth on her board. To say she looked confidant was an understatement.

She looked good.

Delphine couldn't help smiling when the woman stuck her tongue out at the camera.

"Little shit."

Delphine turned to look at Sarah, seeing the proud smirk on her face as she watched her sister hop forward and head towards the half-pipe.

_"Why do you do that?"_

_"Hmmm?" Cosima was putting away her freshly cleaned clothes, having already been yelled at by her roommate for not being the tidiest person. _

_Delphine turned the tablet to the American, displaying Cosima with her tongue sticking out._

_Cosima rolled her eyes dramatically. "Cause I'm a little shit." _

_Raising an eyebrow, Delphine tilted her head in question._

_"My sister, Sarah, calls me a little shit all the time." Cosima shoved her clothes in the dresser, ignoring any sort of order before closing it. "We had this fight once when we were like 12 or 13. ..13 definitely. I had lost a competition for the first time and I had thrown myself into snowboarding and my grades had started slipping for like the first time ever in my life." She waved her hands as if to explain how rare that was. "My parents started telling me that if my grades continued to fall, they'd make me give up snowboarding." She shook her head. "So me, being the little kid that I was, I started yelling and crying and locked myself in my room. Sarah, unfortunately was in there at the time." She laughed bitterly. "Now, she wasn't the best sister back then. She was starting to go all punk and she was turning into an asshole. So she, in all of her grand wisdom, says I should give up snowboarding because I was already smart and I couldn't be both smart and a professional athlete."_

_"That's absurd." _

_Cosima nodded. "Obvs. So I told her I'd make it to the Olympics one day and she'd feel like an ass." She shrugged. "Everyone thinks I'm just trying to be cute...or defiant, but really I'm just teasing Sarah." _

_"You are incorrigible." Delphine smiled, nudging the woman's shoulder._

It was good to see that Sarah took it with ease. She watched as Cosima hit the half-pipe, using the first jump to gather height and speed. "I guess you can be smart and athletic after all, no?"

With a surprised look, Sarah laughed, nodding. "That little shit always has to be right."

Both women watched as Cosima launched off the other side, using the height and speed to grab the nose of her board, rotating twice before easily landing, heading towards the opposite side. Delphine was watching every move, looking for any signal that she was losing control, but it was quite the opposite. As the woman launched off the half-pipe, it looked almost easy as she grabbed the center of her board, flipping over once as she rotated in the air, landing expertly.

Sarah was quiet as well, watching closely and mouthing words that Delphine could not hear. The rest of the Niehauses were ranging from nervously watching to outright cheering when the American launched into the air, grabbing the tail end of the board as she spun around once, twice, three times and landing flawlessly.

Delphine was amazed as the woman used her compact form and strength to get higher than any of the other athletes. She watched as the snowboarder did a simple double rotation, obviously trying to pick up speed for her last jump.

"Do it, Cos."

Sarah's voice rang in Delphine's ear just as Cosima launched off the half-pipe, her fast-moving form held tight as she reached down and grabbed her board, her body rolling with the movement and flipping not once, but twice as she rotated three times. Delphine nearly covered her eyes, not wanting to see the form crashing into the half-pipe. She was glad she didn't, pleasantly surprised as the woman's snowboard made contact with the slope, and the American remained standing. There was a loud cheer from the crowd and a "Holy shit" from Sarah as Cosima thrust a victorious fist into the sky and slid to a stop at the bottom of the slope.

The crowd was almost unbearably loud, cheering for the American. Cosima had removed her snowboard, waving at the crowd as she nervously watched the scoreboard. Time seemed to tick by slowly as the screens replayed the last jump in slow motion just before they cut to a close up of Cosima who waved at the camera just before the score was posted.

92.25

Cosima fell to her knees as a cheer sounded through the crowd once more. That put her in first place with only one more snowboarder to go after her. If nothing else, she would leave with not one, but two silver medals.

Delphine watched as the short woman was pulled into a group hug, the woman who was now in second place patting her firmly on the back. Cosima looked dazed as she looked up at the screen, watching the replay of her run as they waited for the last snowboarder.

When the last snowboarder started her run, perhaps Delphine should have been paying attention, but she wasn't. She was busy watching Cosima who was sitting on the padded surface, her feet swinging back and forth childishly as she watched the screen. There was genuine interest there as the she watched her competitor in her run. When the final athlete slid to a stop beside them, Cosima hopped down to give the woman a friendly hug, congratulating her on a successful run.

Delphine had to admit she was beyond nervous as Cosima leaned against the padded surface beside her American teammate as they both waited for the score of the last snowboarder. The women were both grinning, chatting profusely, both knowing they would get medals, but not sure what rank. It seemed to take forever as they sat there, heads turned towards the scoreboard.

90.5

There was a loud cheer as Delphine watched the brunette close her eyes momentarily, a huge grin spreading across her face just moments before she was pulled into another group hug with the other medal winners. To her right, the Niehauses were hooting and cheering, waving their American flags in obvious pride. She watched as Cosima and her team mate were handed American flags, having them draped over their shoulders. It was the woman's last Olympics, and she was taking home a gold medal.

"Come on Delphine." Sarah wrapped her arm around the blonde's, tugging her toward the barrier.

Delphine was not quite sure what was going on until she was pressed against a bar with the crowd at her back, watching as Cosima ran up to their small army of people, first getting lost in the her parents' hug. She could see the tears in their eyes as Mrs. Niehaus roughly kissed the snowboarder's cheek before hugging her again. Next was a group hug from her siblings, four identical yet different women locked in a tangle of heads and arms.

At last Cosima stopped in front of Delphine, a slight hesitation in her moves. The short woman was being pat on the back and side by everyone, but Delphine could see the American wasn't paying attention.

_"So what are we doing?"_

_Delphine was kneeling down, tying her shoes. "Hmmm?" She slipped on her jacket and pulled the zipper up, watching as the American shrugged on her parka. "I thought we were getting ready for you to win a gold medal." _

_Cosima rolled her eyes, pulling the woman to her for a quick kiss. "What are we doing about the whole gay thing. If I qualify, I can sit back and watch the semi-finals with you." She reached up and fixed the blonde's collar. "We haven't spent any time really in public together with cameras and stuff." _

_Truthfully, Delphine hadn't thought much about it. "Well...my manager wants this to be a secret for now." She picked up the fleece headband from the nightstand, fitting it around the woman's head before pressing her forehead against the woman's. "Our relationship can be anything we want." _

_Cosima grinned at that, leaning in for a kiss._

Reaching out and capturing the snowboarder's face between her hands, Delphine smiled as she pulled the woman to her, her lips crushing against a smile. She didn't care who was watching or that they were surrounded by hundreds of people. She didn't care that every camera in the area was on them. Everything faded away and all she could feel were the lips pressed against her own, returning the kiss.

When they finally separated, Cosima was grinning widely as the blonde's forehead pressed against hers in a moment that was all their own. She felt a tugging on her jacket and rolled her eyes. "Guess I did ok, huh?" She tried to wave off her coach who was yelling above the cheering, trying to get her attention.

Delphine gave the woman one more kiss. "Not bad for an American." She joked. "Go get your medal."

"Okay." Cosima laughed as she allowed herself to be pulled away and sucked into a crowd of reporters and officials.

The sudden absence of the shorter woman brought a wave of awareness over Delphine as she felt eyes on her. "Merde." She whispered, as if a sudden realization of what she just did came crashing down on her. As if sensing her distress, an arm settled around her shoulder. She looked up to find familiar but very different hazel eyes watching her knowingly.

"Come on, Casanova...back to our seats." Sarah's voice was filled with amusement as she pulled the blonde back to the bleachers.

Taking a seat, Delphine let her eyes scan the area, seeing more than one camera seeming to be focusing on her. "That did not go as I planned."

Sarah only smirked. "Definitely one way to burst out of the closet."

Delphine looked from Sarah to Cosima who was being interviewed. "Shit."


End file.
